Y/N's apartment was filled with silence, in contrast to the mess he had gotten into a few hours prior. He lied down on his bed, currently thinking of a way to make Minho's plan become a reality.
Not being able to come up with anything solid after an hour of brainstorming, he decided that it was pointless to force himself and grabbed a glass of water to calm his brain.
"Oppa? You're still awake." A noise broke the silence as her voice filled the room. Minju, who was still fully awake, then went out of the room.
"It was like this yesterday as well, wasn't it? I was about to grab a water, when i saw you here and... look at where we are now." Minju said as Y/N smiled at her.
"Could you possibly be thinking of what Minho-oppa said earlier?" Minju assumed.
"Yeah. I'm still thinking about how I can actually do it."
___________
Flashback
"Mr. Kwon has been committing tax fraud for about 10 years, and he has never been caught until now. There have been multiple occasions where he's about to be caught, But of course, money speaks on his behalf. I've witnessed it a few times for myself that the evidence would just vanish into thin air, as well as the people who reported in the first place going missing after that."
"Yikes. So he just kidnaps people that bailed on him?" Y/N asked.
"More or less. So here's what i'm planning to do. We're gonna need to find someone from the government, who's principled enough and won't be swayed by the amount of money he'll offer. Once we find that person, I'll try and do whatever's necessary for me to gather the evidence needed to report a fraud."
"How can we find such a person to help us? Also, the government?"
"Yeah. The government. We need to act fast, Y/N. I won't stay idle, as I'll also help you in finding this person. But i won't be able to do much or else he'll suspect me. I'm counting on you, Y/N."
___________
"Minju-ya. I've been thinking." Y/N placed down his glass of water, turning to Minju who's already sipping on her water.
"Oh. Feels like déjà vu. So, what do you have in mind, oppa?"
"I'm gonna need to ask Mrs. Kwon's to help us. You know, maybe she has some connections that can lend us an aid."
"Not a bad idea. But what will you do if she said she doesn't?"
"Then we'll try to think of something else, of course."
"Okay. We'll go together then." Minju said as she placed down her glass of water, smiling at Y/N before approaching him by the sofa.
"Minju-ya. You don't have to do that."
"It's what i want to do, oppa. "
"No, I'm serious, Minju-ya. I don't want anything to happen to you. Remember when Mr. Kwon switched his gaze to you when he threatened us? Remember that?"
"But you'll be there for me, won't you? Also he didn't do anything to me yesterday."
"I know, but he might the next time we meet him again, who knows. I don't want to risk your safety."
"Oppa we've gotten this far already. I've already resolved that I want to see this through. With you, oppa. Together. Can you please let me do that?" Minju kept persisting as Y/N's defense was getting weaker and weaker. In the end, Y/N had no choice other than to let her come.
"We should get some sleep then. I'll be going first, oppa. Sleep well." Y/N watched her as she walked inside her room.
"This does feel like déjà vu."
__________
"You guys are going out together again?" Chaewon asked as she witnessed the two getting ready to take a walk.
"Uhh... yes. To ask whether Eunbi's mother is able to help us or not."
"I still can't believe that you two aren't dating. Always going out alone, just like how yesterday went."
"Ya. We were out to look for Eunbi-noona you know."
"Cap, oppa. Cap. Anyway, good luck. I'll be surfing the internet and find out how I can contribute. I think I'll also be talking to Irene-unnie and the others about it."
"Sure. Thanks, Chaewon-ah." Chaewon gave a slight smile as the two walked outside to the cloudy day, as the wind blew.
"I should apologize to her first, before asking her for aid."
"Apologize for what?"
"You do know that the reason i moved in with them in the first place was because she asked me to keep an eye on her, right? You know, because Mr. Kwon is... i'll just say that he's a psycho."
"Oh i know that. So you'll apologize to her for not being able to prevent her from being 'kidnapped' by him?"
"Yes."
"I see."
They walked the rest of the way, whether they should do some small talks, or just ask her the main question, which is the reason why they went there in the first place. The discussion went on until the moment they're in front of her door.
"Should we just knock and let the conversation flow?"
"Looks like it's the best solution for us now. We're already here, after all. We shouldn't take too long. Time is ticking." Y/N nodded to Minju's suggestion as he hesitantly knocked on the door.
"Coming." A faint voice from inside spoke as footsteps were gradually getting closer to them.
"Hi, Mrs. Kwon. I'm here. With a friend. Her name is Kim Minju." Minju bowed to the older woman as the two introduced each other, before going inside.
"I'm gonna assume the reason for the two of you to come here is because of that man who came here last night. Am i correct? " Mrs. Kwon asked as she told the two to sit at the sofa as she walked towards the kitchen and gave each of them a glass of water.
"Yes. You are right. But first of all, I would like to apologize, Mrs. Kwon. I wasn't able to prevent her from going to her father's side. I failed the part where you told me to keep an eye on her."
"It's okay, Y/N. It was bound to happen. At the very least, I'm very glad you were there for her, Y/N. You two, along with the other friends."
"I was always afraid she'd be all alone after the whole news about her a few years back. What if she gets bullied? What if she didn't have someone to talk to? Will she be able to blend in? But I was glad, knowing Chaewon was there by her side throughout the rest of her school years. But then, you came. Y/N-ssi."
"Me?" Y/N pointed to himself as her mother smiled. "What did i do?"
"You see, my daughter's school days had always been bright, despite only having Chaewon by her side. But it became even brighter when you came to her life. Ah~ there was never a day where she never mentioned your name." Y/N's cheeks slightly blushed as Minju gave him a slight smile, being happy for him.
"Maybe it's because of the goofy stuff I did. I am kind of goofy."
"I doubt that's the reason. She seems to like you a lot, Y/N. But I'll let her be the one to tell you in person. Putting that aside, I'm truly happy that you're a nice kid. You too, Ms. Minju."
"A-Ah, I haven't done much for Eunbi-unnie, Mrs. Kwon. Y/N-oppa here is the one who's always there for her." Minju tapped Y/N in the back.
"But still, you're her friend aren't you? If so, then that's enough reason for me to give my thanks to you. So, what brings you here?" Y/N who was off in the clouds got caught off guard by her question as he got himself straight.
"Oh, right. Mrs. Kwon. Would you happen to know someone who's working for the government? Preferably the one who's taking care of taxes."
"Someone from the government? What do you need them for?"
"From what Minho-ssi has told us, he said that Mr.Kwon has been committing tax fraud for quite a while, and that i'm gonna need help from someone trustworthy enough to not get swayed by the money he'll offer."
"He has? It's no surprise, seeing how he's brave enough to do all those stuff back in the day. I'm sorry Y/N, but i don't interact much with people." Both Y/N and Minju felt helpless when one person crossed the mother's mind.
"I think there might be someone who can help you. From what i've known, he's a busy man so you might not be able to contact him so easily. But in this case, i think he'll be willing to help you."
"Oh really? Who is it?"
"His name is Han Seonho. He's the one responsible for making me give birth to Eunbi."